George Floyd

Ex-Minneapolis Cop Told Other Officers ‘You Shouldn't Do This' During George Floyd's Arrest, Lawyer Says

Attorneys for two of the officers, charged with aiding and abetting murder, claimed the men tried to express concern during Floyd's deadly arrest

J. Alexander Kueng
Courtesy of the Hennepin County Jail

One of the four former Minneapolis officers charged in George Floyd’s death tried to warn his fellow officers during the arrest, his attorney claimed in court Thursday.

J. Alexander Kueng hadn’t yet completed his third full shift as a police officer when the deadly arrest occurred, his attorney Tom Plunkett claimed. Plunkett said Kueng allegedly told his fellow officers as they were detaining Floyd, "You shouldn’t do that."

Kueng was in court on Thursday along with former officers Tou Thao and Thomas Lane after being charged on Wednesday with aiding and abetting murder, as well as aiding and abetting manslaughter, in the case, NBC News reported. A fourth officer, Derek Chauvin, was charged with second-degree murder after video showed Chauvin placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes while detaining him on May 25.

Lane was also new to the job, only on the force for four days when the incident occurred, his attorney Earl Gray claimed. His lawyer said that Lane twice asked Chauvin, a training officer, "Shall we roll him over?" He also expressed concern that Floyd may be in "delirium."

"What is my client supposed to do other than follow what the training officer said?" Gray said in court.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com


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